Promoting Graduate Entrepreneurship in Tunisian Universities

This report provides the main findings and recommendations of a case study review of entrepreneurship education and business start-up support in Tunisian universities and universities of applied sciences as part of a series of reviews on Skills and Competences for Entrepreneurship carried out by the Local Economic and Employment Development (OECD) Programme of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The review examines current strategies, structures and practices for entrepreneurship promotion in Tunisian universities highlighting activities to instil entrepreneurial intentions and to favour business creation among graduates. One of the core strengths of the Tunisian system is that it reaches a large proportion of students with basic entrepreneurship teaching. The report sets out the opportunities to improve this teaching using international best practice models and to complement it with more intense start-up support for those students ready to go further.

To this end, the report recommends the creation of a national graduate entrepreneurship strategy with clear objectives, indicators and incentives, methods for benchmarked learning and a resource bank of teaching materials together with an exchange platform for universities on entrepreneurship support practices, with an interface through university enterprise champions, an academic association, and improved training of trainers. The existing basic teaching in entrepreneurship should be improved with new activities and approaches and a new level of deeper business creation and growth support introduced including incubation, coaching and referral and post start-up support.

Table of contents

FOREWORD

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The context of the study

Major Finings

Conclusion and recommendations

International learining models

CHAPTER 1: TUNISIA AT A CROSS-ROADS

Introduction

The Tunisian Context

The OECD review

CHAPTER 2: SURVEYS OF UNIVERSITY LEADERS, STAFF AND STUDENTS

Introduction

Graduate entrepreneuship support

Recommendations

International learining models

CHAPTER 4: STIMULATING AND MANAGING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND THE ROLE OF PARTNERSHIPS

Introduction

The role and nature of partnerships in higher education

The Tunisian context

Recommendations

International learning models

CHAPTER 5: ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

The objectives, contents and methods of entrepreneurship education

Tunisian universities and their context

Entrepreneurship education: strengths and weaknesses

Recommendations

International learining models

CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD

Establish an national strategy and exchange platform for graduate entrepreneurship support

Develop a two-level university entrepreneurship support system

ANNEX A: AN ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITY – THE MUNICH UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

Institutional overview

Framing and organising entrepreneurship support

Institutional anchoring and embeddedness

Internal organisation and external collaboration

Financial resources

Human resources

ANNEX B: OECD LEED GOOD PRACTICE CRITERIA FOR UNIVERSITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT

Contact

For more information please contact Jonathan Potter at the OECD Secretariat.